lunch

American  

[luhnch] / lʌntʃ /

noun

1. a light midday meal between breakfast and dinner; luncheon.

2. any light meal or snack.

3. a restaurant or lunchroom.

   Let's eat at the dairy lunch.

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verb (used without object)

1. to eat lunch.

   We lunched quite late today.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide lunch for.

   They lunched us in regal fashion.

idioms

1. out to lunch,  not paying attention or tending to business; negligent.

   You must have been out to lunch when you wrote that weird report.

lunch British  

/ lʌntʃ /

noun

1. a meal eaten during the middle of the day

2. (among older people) mid-afternoon tea

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verb

1. (intr) to eat lunch

2. (tr) to provide or buy lunch for

lunch More Idioms  

1. see eat someone alive (someone's lunch); free lunch; lose one's lunch; out to (lunch).

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Other Word Forms

• luncher noun
• lunchless adjective
• prelunch adjective

Etymology

Origin of lunch

First recorded in 1585–95; short for luncheon

Example Sentences

There is a no-shoes policy in the office, the floor is lined with ornate rugs for socked feet, and a chef named Fausto serves lunch six days a week for its 250 employees.

From The Wall Street Journal

I make myself a cup of coffee and make the kids their breakfast and lunch, then Ashton takes them to the bus.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If Scotland qualify for the World Cup it would be a bigger deal,” said Alex Young, a local roofer, as he popped out from work for some lunch earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal

By the time we broke for lunch, around two hours after we started, we had already covered nearly 1,000 feet and filled 350 boxes.

From Los Angeles Times

It has been a rough stretch for the makers of healthy—but fast—lunch bowls.

From The Wall Street Journal